Hatch construction for railway car roofs



y 8, 1952 J. s. SWANN 2,602,407

HATCH CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CAR ROOFS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 2, 1946 INVENTOR.

Jamea 5 510mm,

y 8, 1952 J. 5. SWANN 2,602,407

- HATCH CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CAR ROOFS Filed Aug. 2, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Jafizw 5 warziz.

J. S. SWANN HATCH CONSTRUCTION FOR RAILWAY CAR ROOFS July 8, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 2, 1946 Patented July 8, 1952 UNITED STATE HATCH CONSTRUCTION FOB. RAILWAY v CAB ROOFS James S. Swann, Homewood, Ill., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application August 2, 1946, Serial No. 688,066

10 Claims. (Cl. 108-5.4)

The invention relates to roofs for railway cars having hatches therein for loading the cars therethrough, such as are used in refrigerator and covered hopper cars.

A roof for a railway car not only protects the lading in the car from the elements, but also prevents the superstructure of the car from weaving due to service movements of the car, and also prevents the side walls of the car from spreading or coming together due primarily to coupling the cars at abnormal speedsand application of the air brake.

To resist such weaving the railway car. roof must be substantially a horizontally disposed girder including the usual stiffeners. To resist the aforesaid spreading and coming together of the side walls of the car the roof must be provided with beams extending between and supported by the side walls of the car. Such beams are usually called carlines. When the side walls of the car tend to spread,'the carlines function as horizontal beams supporting a downwardly disposed load and when the side walls of the car tend to come together the carlines function as horizontal beams supporting an upwardly disposed load.

When hatch openings are cut in a car roof it is like cutting holes in a girder and the roof or girder must be reinforced accordingly.

It is the object of this invention to provide such reinforcement in a car roof having hatch openings therein and to so dispose the metallic sheets forming the car roof so as to strengthen the roof around the hatch openings and furthermore to form and dispose the hatch frames and the several metallic roof sheets and associate them with the carlines (and in some cases with thepurlins too) so as to reinforce the carlines in beam action by strengthening the compression and tension sides (or portions) thereof.

Another object is to associate the carlines, hatch frames and metallic roofsheets to form, in effect, a panel extending between the spaced walls of the car to resist the aforesaid weaving, as well as the aforesaid spreadingand coming together of the side walls of the car. I

A further object of the inventionis to provide an assembly comprising a pair of carlines, preferably with purlins, extending therebetween to form hatch openings, hatch frames within said openings and metallic-:roof sheets between said openings, which assembly can be applied to a car as a unit. Such unit may. also include insulating material around the hatch frame.

Another object ofthe invention is .to provide a plural ty f carl es of substantially Z section having the. webs thereof substantially in the general plane of the roof to strengthen the roof as a horizontally disposed girder to retardoneside wall from moving ahead ofthe other side wall (which is called parallelogramming) and particularly to strengthen such girder adjacent the hatch openings to compensate forthe omission of that part of roof or girder forming the hatch opening.

Another object of the'invention is to form the carlines of 2 sections, i. e., with upstanding and depending flanges and connecting web to 'give the carlines great strength (vertically) in beam action, either when supporting a downwardly or upwardly disposedload. U

Another object of the invention is to attach the opposite ends of each of the carlines to' the side walls of the car so. that the carlines will function as semi-restrained beams either under vertically imposed loads or horizontally imposed loads as well as strengthen the carlines a'sstiffeners for the horizontally disposed girder.

Another obje'ct of the invention is to provide purlins extending between and attached to the spaced carlines to strengthen the carlinesfrom buckling or deflecting laterally under beam action or when functioning as stiffeners ofv the aforementioned horizontally disposed girder.

Another object of the invention is to provide a roof structure including hatch frames wherein any hatch frame can be removed from the car.

without removing my roof sheet or any other hatch frame and vice versa.

Another object is to provide a roof structure wherein a pair of carlines, two hatch frames, the ridge roof sheet and end roof sheets may be assembled as a unit and applied to the car as a unit. Another object is to provide a structur where-. in the spaced carlines form part of the sides,

of the hatch opening thus reducing the amount of material in the hatch frame and furthermore to form the carlines of Z-sections with the'vvebs in horizontal position withthe depending flanges further apart than the upstanding flanges so that the hatch opening is larger at the bottom than at the top thereof to facilitate loading the, car through thehatch. i 7 o Another object is to provide a roof structure. (or horizontally disposed girder) wherein the main members, i. e., the carlines, which are stiffeners for the girder, can be made ofrelatively thick (rolled) material and the roof sheets, which are the webs of the girder, can be made of relatively thin. material, thus placing the material where it is needed for strength and reducing the total weight of the roof structure.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of my improved construction broken away to illustrate certain details thereof.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1 with the ridge sheet omitted.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a mechanical drawing showing a section of my device extending longitudinally of the car through one of the hatches.

Fig. 5 is a mechanical drawing showing a section of my device extending laterally of the car through one of the hatches.

Fig. 6 shows the member for attaching a carline to a side plate of a side wall of the car.

Fig. 7 shows how the end of a carline is cut out to accommodate the member for attaching it to the side plate of the car.

Fig. 8 is a modification showing the purlin having upper and lower stiffening flanges, the ridge sheet provided with 9. depending flange for attachment to the upstanding flange of the carline and main roof sheet welded at two places to the carline.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a. modification wherein the upstanding flange of the carline is extended to overlap and be secured to the hatch frame and in between the hatch frames is slitted and tion for railway car roof, as illustrated, com

prises spaced carlines 2 adapted to extendbetween and be secured to the side walls or side plates 3 of the car, each of said carlines comprising a horizontal web 4, an upstanding flange 5 and a depending flange 6, thus providing a beam having great strength in a vertical direction to resist the tendency of the side walls of the car to spread or come together, as heretofore mentioned, and also providing carlines having great strength in a horizontal direction to resist the tendency of one side plate to go ahead of the other side plate. The carlines may be made of flat metallic plates formed into a Z section, as shown in Fig. 7, or they may be made of rolled sections having fillets I between the respective flanges 5 and 6 and the web 4, as shown in Fig. 2. These fillets tend to retard the flanges from deflecting under load.

Each end of each carline 2 is secured to the adjacent side plate 3 of the car so as to provide a semi-restrained beam to resist a load thereon in either vertical, horizontal or diagonal direction. Such means of attachment comprises a member 8 having a substantially horizontal part 9 secured to theweb 4 of the carline 2 and also to the hatch frame I 0. The member 8 also comprises a vertical part II secured to the side plate 3 preferably bythe rivets I2, and a third part I3 secured by welding I4 to the depending flange 6 of the carline. A detail of this member is shown in Fig. 6.

Spaced hatch frames II] are provided, prefer ably one on each side of the longitudinal center of the car, which frames I!) extend between and are secured to both carlines, thus providing a brace between the carlines so that they will cooperate to resist loads imposed upon the carlines either in vertical or horizontal direction. The hatch frames ID are preferably rectangular and comprise outer side walls I8 which are secured to the members 8 and to the upstanding flanges 5 of the carlines 2 and inner side walls I9 which extend between and are secured to the upstanding flanges 5 of the spaced carlines 2, thus providing means to prevent the upstanding flanges of the carlines from deflecting under load. These inner side walls I9 (and the outer walls too if desired) extend downwardly and the lower portions thereof extend between and are secured to the depending flanges 6 of the spaced carlines 2, thus providing means to prevent the depending flanges 6 of the carlines from buckling under load. The inner walls I 9 of the hatch frames I0 made according to my invention are secured to the carlines to strengthen the carlines to resist the tendency to buckle under load. This may be accomplished by attaching the inner walls It of the hatch frames IE to the upstanding flanges 5 and depending flanges 6, respectively, or to the webs 4 of the carlines, or both. The hatch frames I0 also comprise spaced end walls 23 which are secured to the adjacent upstanding flanges 5 of the carlines. The end walls 23; inner wall I9 and outer wall I8'of each hatch frame ID are secured together, preferably at the corners, to form an integral structure. E a

Fig. 5 shows a structure wherein a purlin 2 is provided extending between and secured to the upstanding flanges 5 and depending flanges S of the spaced carlines in a similar manner as heretofore described for the inner walls I9 of the hatch frames.

The main roof sheets 25 are secured to the carlines in any convenient manner and in the form shown in Figs. 1-5 inclusive the main roof sheets 25 are provided with upstanding flanges 26 preferably in contact with the upstanding flanges 5 of the carlines and flush with the tops thereof so that a single row of welding 21 secures the upstanding flanges 26 of the roof sheet and carlines, respectively, together andto the adjacent walls 23 of the hatch frames Ill. The main roof sheets 25 may be attached to the webs 4 of the carlines, if desired. The roof ridge sheet 3I is positioned in the plane of the upper edges of the upstanding flanges 5 of the carlines 2 and extends between the hatch frame walls IBand is secured thereto, preferably by :the welding 21. The ridge roof sheet 3| may also'rest upon and be suppdrted by the purlin 24. as shown in Fig. 5. If the purlins 24 are omitted the ridge roof sheets 3| are then secured directly to the inner hatch frame walls I9. The eave roof sheet'32 is secured to the outer wall I8 of the hatch frame I0 and is provided with a depending marginal portion 33 which overlaps and is secured to the side plate 3 of the car. The eave roof sheet 32 is alsoprovided with upstanding flanges 34 which abut and are secured to the upstanding flanges 26 of 'the main roof sheets25. 7 I s Fig. '7 shows how the'upstanding flange 5 of the carline 2is cut oif and the web 4 of the carlineis' notched (35) to accommodate the member 8 for attaching the carline to the side plate 3 of the car, which construction is shown in Fig. 1.- The edge of the horizontal'part 9 of the member 8 is welded in the notch 35 in the web 4 with the surfaces of the member and the web flush with each other. The cave roof sheet 32 rests upon these surfaces.

Fig. 8 shows a modified purlin 39 having an upper lateral flange 40 welded at 4| to the upstanding flange 5 of the carline with the lower portion of the purlin 39 extending below the web 4 of the carline and secured thereto and the end of the purlin welded to the depending flange 6 of the carline. In this modification the purlin 39 is also provided with a lower lateral flange 42. The upper 40 and lower 42 lateral flanges strengthen the purlin as a beam and/or a column between the spaced carlines.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a modification wherein the upstanding flange 43 of the carline 44 is provided with a lateral flange 45 which supports the ridge roof sheet 3| between the hatch frames. Adjacent the hatch frame the upstanding flange 43 extends upwardly, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10 at 46, to provide means of attachment of the carline to the hatch frame [0. In Figs. 9 and 10 the carline is provided with a strengthening lateral flange 41.

Figs. 11 and 12 show a car roof without hatch openings but may be used with hatch openings.

Fig. 12 shows a longitudinal cross section through the roof wherein the carlines 2 are spaced apart predetermined distances so that the widths of the upper roof sheets are substantially the same as the widths of the lower roof sheets 5| to simplify manufacture, as the upper and lower roof sheets would be the same with the exception of a slight difference in pitch.

In the modification shown in Fig. 11 the upper roof sheets 52 rest upon and are secured to the upstanding flanges 5 of the carlines 2 and the lower or main roof sheets 53 rest upon and are preferably secured to the webs 4 of the carlines 2. The upstanding flanges 5 of the carlines are chamfered (54) so that the ends of the upstanding flanges 5 are flush with the ends of th webs 4 of the carlines so that at this line the upper surface ofthe upper 52 and lower 53 roof. sheets are flush with each other and are secured together, preferably by welding, to form an integral and continuous depending flange 55 which overlaps and is secured to the side plate of the car.

The member 59 for attaching the carline to the side plate 3 or side wall of the car has a portion 60 secured to the side plate 3 or side wall and one inwardly projecting portion 6i secured to the depending flange 6 of the carline and. another inwardly projecting portion 62 secured to the upstanding flange 5 of the carline.

It will be noted in Fig. 11 that the inwardly projecting portion 62 is flush with the chamfered portion 54 of the upstanding flange 5 of the car'- line. By securing the member to both the upstanding and depending flanges of the carlinethe carline is caused to function as a semirestrained beam to support a vertical load and also to support a horizontal load. It will bealso noted that the inwardly projecting portions BI and 62- of the attaching member 59 are spaced apart vertically which is important in causing the carline to function as a semi-restrained beam.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A roofstructure for a railway car compriscured to the side walls of a'railway car, each of said carlines having a 'horizontaliweb,ian upstanding flange and a depending flange, purlins extending betweenand secured to the carlines, each purlin having a horizontal flange, spaced hatch frames extending between and secured to both carlines with-each frame also secured to one of saidpur1ins,roof sheets'having one margin thereof supported by' said webs, respectively. and formed with upstanding flanges secured to the upstanding flanges of :the carlines, and another roof-sheet extending'between s'aid hatch frames and'between said carlines which are supported by the upstanding flanges of said carlines and the horizontal flange'of said purlins.

2. A roof structure for a railwaycar compris- I ing spaced carlines extending between the side wal s of 'a railway car, each of said carlines having a horizontal web,an upstanding flange and a depending flange, and means to secure both ends of each web and both ends of each depending flange to the adjacent sidewall of the car, purlins extending between and'secured to the carlines, each purlin having a horizontal flange, spaced hatch frames extending between and securedv to both carlines with each frame also secured to one of said purlins,-roof sheets having one margin thereof supported by said webs, respectively, and formed with upstanding flanges secured to the upstandingflange of the adjacent carline, and another roof sheet extending. between said hatch framesand'between said carlines, and secured along opposite sides to the Y upper edges of the flanges of said carlines and of said roof sheets.

3-. A railway car roof structure comprising a pair of spaced. carlines adapted to extend between and be securedlto the side walls of. a rail hatch frames, one wall of each hatch frame hav-' ing the ends thereof secured to both flanges of the carlines, respectively, main roof sheets in the plane of said webs which are secured to said carlines, respectively, and a ridge roof sheet between said hatch frames positioned substantially in the plane of the upper edges of the upstanding flanges of said carlines and secured thereto.

5. A hatch frame supporting structure comprising a pair of spaced carlines adapted to extend between and be secured to the side walls of a railway car so as to cause each carline to function as a semi-restrained beam under a vertical or horizontal load, each carline having a web, a depending flange and an upstanding flange, and a pair of spaced hatch frames, each of said hatch frames having a wall thereof secured to both flanges of said carlines to retard buckling of the carlines under beam action.

6. A roof structure for a railway car having spaced side plates, said roof structure comprising spaced carlines, each carline having a horizontal web, an upstanding flange and a depending flange, the ends of said upstanding flanges being chamfered to substantially "the plane of the web, means to secure said depending flanges and saidrupstanding flangesto the adjacent side plates, respectively, so as to cause each of said carlines to function as a semi restrainedbeam in resisting a load thereon in either a vertical or horizontal direction, an upper roof sheet extending between and secured to the upper margins of said upstanding flanges which are provided with depend-- ing end flanges which overlap and are secured. to the adjacent side plates of the car, and a lower roof sheet secured to each web of each carline and positioned substantially in the plane of said,

webs, whereby the two carlines, the upper roof sheet and the lower roof sheet form a, panel between the side plates of the car and whereby the several roof sheets brace the carlines against deflection under a horizontal or vertical load;

7. A roof'structure for a railway car having spaced side plates, said roof structure comprising spaced carlines, each carline having a horizontal web, an upstanding flange and a depending flange, upper roof sheets extendingbetween and secured to the upper margins of adjacent upstanding flanges, lower roof sheets extending between and secured to adjacent webs and positioned substantially in the plane of said webs, the ends of said upstanding flanges being cut away to the plane of said webs, and an angular member extending between the end 'portions of said spaced carlines, said member having a horizontal part resting upon the webs of said carlines and a vertical part secured to the said side plates.

8. A roof structure for a railway'car comprising spaced side plates, spaced carlines, extending between said side plates, each having a horizontal web, an upstanding flange, and a depending flange, a rectangular hatch frameextending between and abutting the upstanding flanges of said carlines and secured thereto, the outer wall of said hatch frame underlapping the web of said carlines and extending to and secured to the depending flange thereof.

7 plates.

9. A roof structure ,fora railway car comprising spaced side plates each having a horizontal web, an upstanding inner flange, and a depending outer flange, spaced carlines, extending between said side plates, each having a horizontal web, an upstanding flange, and adependingflange, theend portions of the upstanding flanges of said carlines being cut away, an angular member extending between the end portions of said carlines and having-a horizontal part-resting upon the webs of *said carlines, and.- a vertical part secured to the upstanding flange of said side 10. A roof structure for a railway car comprising spaced side plate each having a horizontal web, an upstanding inner flange, and a depending outer flange, spaced carlines, extending be-- tween said side plates, each having ahorizontal Web, an upstanding flange, and a depending flange, a rectangular hatch frame extending between and abutting the upstanding flanges of said carlines and secured thereto, the end portions of the upstanding flanges of said carlines being cut away to the plane of the webs thereof, the outer wall of said hatch frame underlapping the web of said carlines and extending to and secured to the depending flange thereof, an angular member extending between the endportions of said carlines and having a horizontal part resting upon the webs of said carlines and a vertical part secured to the upstanding flange of said side plates.

' JAMES S. SWANN.

' ,7 REFERENCES cl'rnp Thcfollowing referencesare of record in the file of this patent:

N TED STATES PATEN'I'S Number Name Date 1,856,276 Bonsall Q May 3, 1932 2,034,382 Bonsall Mar. 17, 1936 2,236,667 Bikle Apr. 1, 1941 2,239,037 Finger Apr. 22, 1941 2,421,660 Swann June 3, 1947 

